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What Is Nata De Coco Jelly? Taste, Ingredients, And How It Is Made
Jun
Nata de coco jelly is a chewy, translucent cube made by fermenting coconut water with Komagataeibacter xylinus bacteria, which turn sugar into bacterial cellulose. Filipino chemist Teódula Kalaw África developed it in 1949, and today it appears in juice drinks, bubble tea, and desserts around the world.
This guide explains where nata de coco comes from, what it is made of, how producers make it, what it tastes like, and how it differs from coconut jelly. It also covers nutrition, everyday uses, buying and storage, and how drink makers use nata de coco. This guide comes from Nico Brands, the brand portfolio of Nico Trading Company Limited, a Vietnamese manufacturer and exporter of nata de coco drinks.
What Is Nata De Coco Jelly?
Nata de coco jelly is a fermented food: a firm, translucent gel of bacterial cellulose that grows on the surface of sweetened coconut water. Shoppers also call it nata, nata jelly, or coconut gel. The Spanish word nata means “cream,” so nata de coco translates to “cream of coconut” (Food & Wine). The finished gel consists only of water and cellulose, which lets it keep its shape in drinks and desserts (International Coconut Community).
Where Does Nata De Coco Come From?
Nata de coco comes from the Philippines, where chemist Teódula Kalaw África developed it in 1949 as a coconut-based alternative to nata de piña (Wikipedia). Nata de piña, the older product, forms on fermented pineapple juice and dates back to the 18th century in the Philippines. Pineapple is seasonal, so nata de piña was not always available (Food & Wine).
Nata de coco later became an export product. A nationwide trend in Japan in 1993 pushed Philippine nata de coco exports to 14,303 tonnes that year (SEARCA).
What Is Nata De Coco Made Of?
Nata de coco is made of five ingredients: coconut water, sugar, a Komagataeibacter xylinus starter culture, acetic acid, and a nitrogen source such as ammonium sulfate. Producers use water from mature coconuts about 10 to 11 months old (Food & Wine), raise the sugar level to about 10%, and lower the pH to about 4 with acetic acid (International Coconut Community). Packaged nata de coco then adds water, sugar syrup, and often an acidity regulator and a preservative.
How Is Nata De Coco Made?
Producers make nata de coco by leaving sweetened, acidified coconut water with a bacterial culture to ferment, undisturbed, for 2 to 3 weeks, then washing, cutting, and cooking the cellulose layer that forms on top. The process follows five steps:
- Prepare the liquid. Boil the coconut water with sugar, acetic acid, and the nitrogen source, then let it cool.
- Add the culture. Mix in the K. xylinus starter culture and pour the liquid into shallow trays.
- Ferment without moving the trays. Keep the trays still at about 30°C (86°F) for 2 to 3 weeks while a cellulose layer grows on the surface (Talawar et al., 2015; International Coconut Community).
- Remove the acid. Lift the slab, then soak and rinse it in clean water to wash out the sour acetic acid (Wikipedia).
- Cut and cook. Cut the slab into cubes and cook them in sugar syrup, or pack them plain.
What Does Nata De Coco Taste Like?
Nata de coco tastes almost neutral, with a faint sourness from fermentation, and it has a firm, chewy, springy texture. Raw nata de coco is mild and slightly acidic (Food & Wine), so most products soak it in syrup or juice, which gives it sweetness and fruit flavor. The chewiness comes from the dense mesh of cellulose fibers, which feels firmer than agar or gelatin cubes.
Is Nata De Coco The Same As Coconut Jelly?
No, nata de coco is not the same as coconut jelly: nata de coco forms through fermentation, while coconut jelly sets with agar or another gelling agent. Coconut jelly is a dessert made by setting coconut water or coconut milk with agar (Hebbar’s Kitchen). Nata de coco needs no gelling agent, because bacteria build the gel.
| Feature | Nata de coco | Coconut jelly |
|---|---|---|
| How it sets | Bacteria produce a cellulose gel | Agar or another gelling agent sets the liquid |
| Base | Coconut water | Coconut water or coconut milk |
| Texture | Firm, chewy, and springy | Soft, smooth, or creamy |
| Taste | Almost neutral; takes the flavor of its syrup | Coconut flavor |
| Added gelling agent | None | Agar or another gelling agent |
Is Nata De Coco Healthy?
Nata de coco is low in fat and contains dietary fiber, but sweetened nata de coco is high in sugar. The Philippine Food Composition Table lists sweetened nata de coco at 146 kcal, 33.5 g sugars, 0.8 g dietary fiber, and 0.2 g fat per 100 g (3.5 oz) (DOST-FNRI). Unsweetened nata de coco consists of water and cellulose (International Coconut Community), so most of the calories come from the syrup. Nata de coco contains no gelatin and no animal products, so it suits vegetarian and vegan diets; check each product’s label for added sugar and additives.
How Is Nata De Coco Used?
Nata de coco is used in three main ways: in drinks, in desserts, and as a topping.
- Drinks: fruit juice drinks, bubble tea, smoothies, and cocktails.
- Desserts: halo-halo, fruit cocktails, puddings, and fruit salads (Wikipedia; Food & Wine).
- Toppings: ice cream, frozen yogurt, and shaved ice.
Where Can You Buy Nata De Coco, And How Do You Store It?
You can buy nata de coco in Asian grocery stores and online, either in jars of syrup or inside ready-to-drink juice drinks (Food & Wine). Unopened jars and bottles keep at room temperature until the best-before date printed on the label, so packaged nata de coco does expire. Once you open a jar, keep the nata de coco covered in its syrup in the refrigerator and use it within the time the label states.
How Do Drink Makers Use Nata De Coco?
Drink makers use nata de coco in two ways: as cubes inside ready-to-drink juice drinks, and as a bulk topping for bubble tea shops and dessert producers.
Nata De Coco In Zuni Zuni And Nico Nico Juice Drinks
Zuni Zuni and Nico Nico are juice drinks with nata de coco made by Nico Trading in Vietnam, and every bottle and can contains 15% nata de coco. Zuni Zuni combines nata de coco with 30% or 55% not-from-concentrate (NFC) juice and serves the United States, Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Arabic-speaking Middle East markets; see the Zuni Zuni NFC juice drink with nata de coco. Nico Nico uses 30% NFC juice, comes in 15 flavors in 320 ml (10.8 fl oz) bottles, and serves the other export markets, including the Philippines, India, the UK, and Malaysia; see the Nico Nico juice drink with nata de coco. Nico Trading sells both brands to importers and distributors as established brands, not private labels.
Bulk Nata De Coco For Manufacturers
Bubble tea shops and dessert manufacturers buy nata de coco in bulk packs rather than retail jars. Nico Trading supplies bulk nata de coco in 3.2 kg (7 lb) boxes and 10 kg (22 lb) bags, alongside popping boba in 9 flavors.
Nata De Coco Jelly: Key Takeaways
Nata de coco jelly is a chewy gel of bacterial cellulose made by fermenting coconut water, developed in the Philippines in 1949. Producers make it from coconut water, sugar, a bacterial starter culture, acetic acid, and a nitrogen source, and let it ferment undisturbed for 2 to 3 weeks. It tastes almost neutral, differs from agar-set coconut jelly, and gets most of its calories from the syrup. Drink makers add it to juice drinks, bubble tea, and desserts. For more detail, read about nata de coco ingredients, how to make nata de coco from coconut water, coconut jelly vs nata de coco, the calories in nata de coco, and whether nata de coco contains gelatin.
